The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-16
Obeying Christ.

While the fail and patient fingers
| OFT bring home the richest sheaves.
Obeying Christ.
If I keep Christ's commandments only
because have come to see for myself
that they are wise and good, do not
obey Him. If recognize His authority,
1 shall keep His commandments before
recognize that they are either good OF
wise.
Half century ago many unwise per-
sons thought that children ought alway.
to be shown the reasons for everything
that they were required to do. This per.
nicious theory has happily lost its tenn
porary popularity. It is obvious that
children who were brought up under its
influence could never be disciplined to
obedience. But the inevitable condi.
tions of human life must have made it
impossible to translate the theory into
practice. There are many things that
can hardly be explained to baby in
long clothes. Even child of six will
not find it easy to understand why it
should be compelled to take offensive
medicine, or why any limit should be
placed upon its innocent pleasures in the
wineries and strawberry beds. It is
doubtful whether even boy of nine or
ten can be made to understand why he
should learn the multiplication table or
the Latin declensions. He has to do it
first, and to learn the reasons afterwards.
The same principle holds in relation
to morals. If child is not disciplined
to truthfulness, industry, kindness, be-
fore he can see for himself the obliga.
tions of any of these, the chances are
that he will never see that lying, indo-
lence, cruelty, are hateful vices. Com
pei him to be industrious, and he will
discover for himself the obligations Of
industry; make it hard for him to lie,
and he will discover for himself the OBJ.
legations of truthfulness; use authority
to accustom him to kindness, and he
will discover for himself the wickedness
of cruelty. In morals, practice comes
before theory.
And so, if we obey Christ, the COM
mandments will soon shine in their own
light. HE that followeth Me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the
light Of life." 1t is not by mere medita-
tion that we come to see the beauty and
excellences of Christ's commandments;
we must obey them before we see how
beautiful and noble they are. We must
actually follow Christ if we decline to
have the eight of life;" if we desire to
follow Him till the slight" comes, we
shall remain in darkness.-[Rsv. R. W.
Da.e.
Every man has some peculiar train of
thought which he falls back upon when
alone. This, to great degree, moulds
the man.-[Dugald Stewart.
Life is warfare, and those who climb
up and down steep paths and 60 through
dangerous enterprises are the brave men
and the leaders in the camp, but to rest
basely at the cost of others labors is to
be coward, safe because despised.-
[Seneca.
It is easier to trust Gods goodness
when we have some open manifestation
of it than when he is leading us along q
path of hardship or sorrow. And yet
we are 10 trust Him in the darkness as
we'll as in the sunshine. Indeed, that is
the strongests and truest trust, which
confdes in Him though all His waves
and billows 60 over us. This is the
kind of trust he desires. In one view of
it this only is trust. THAT which is
scen is not hope" We need faith to
rest in the confidence that all Gods
dealings are wise and right, and good.
he may be leading US in dark and rough
olaces to test our faith. We ask to be
brought into "a wealthy place." to have
our feet set in "large room;" but our
Heavenly Father keeps us in poverty or
in straits. Still we must trust him.
The time will come when we shall see
mat His dealings were precisely what
VIC needed. There is great comfort for
as in Christs word to His wondering
disciple, "What I do thou knowest not
low; but though shalt know hereafter"
We trust now, and quietly await the
uture knowledge.-[Chicago Watch
nan.